


New Look

by serenbach



Series: Detective Ivy Langford [3]
Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26304820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenbach/pseuds/serenbach
Summary: The Detective cuts her hair and Adam can't help but notice.
Relationships: Female Detective/Adam du Mortain
Series: Detective Ivy Langford [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1773775
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	New Look

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the book 3 demo but contains no spoilers! Also inspired by how thrilled I am about having my long hair chopped into a pixie cut!

The Detective was not in her office when Unit Bravo arrived at the station, though judging by the hoodie hanging over the back of her chair and the still warm coffee on her desk, she couldn’t be far away.

Adam didn’t hold out hope for Douglas informing the Detective of their presence however, as he hadn’t even looked up from his phone as they passed, so they settled in their usual places to wait for her.

Adam knew when Ivy was approaching her office – he would recognise her heartbeat anywhere – and resolutely didn’t look through the glass partition to watch her arrive, though he found himself rubbing his thumb across his fingers as he waited.

He could still feel the echo of her hand in his, all these weeks later. He forced his hand still and frowned.

And then Farah gasped in delight. “Look! Ivy’s cut her hair!”

Adam looked over despite himself. Instead of the long braid which usually hung neatly over one shoulder (aside from the time her braid was half-unravelled and wild while they were sparring. He tried very hard not to think about that), the Detective’s hair was now cut very short at the back, and just a little bit longer on the top.

Her back was to them, looking down at something on the front desk, and he found himself staring at how the light made her hair shine, how soft it looked, and the way the new style showed off the nape of her neck, completely distracted for several long moments. Adam didn’t hear what Farah said to him, but Morgan’s laughter brought him back to himself and he looked away, annoyed at himself.

It was only a few moments more before Ivy entered her office, her expression lighting up with real delight to see them. “Hi! Nobody told me you guys were here, sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s no trouble,” Nate told her with a warm smile. “Your hair looks lovely, by the way.”

“Yeah!” Farah said enthusiastically, hanging over the desk to get closer to Ivy “It looks great, Ives!”

“Thank you,” Ivy said, running her hand over the short strands with a bit of a smile. “It’s so light now, I wish I’d had it cut ages ago!”

“Doesn’t it look nice, Adam,” Farah said pointedly, her grin mischievous, and Ivy’s gaze shifted over to him, her cheeks colouring a little.

“It’s very…” he hesitated, trying to find something safe to say. “Practical.”

Nate sent him a pitying look, Farah a teasing one. He didn’t have to look at Morgan to know she was rolling her eyes.

Ivy just nodded. “Yeah. I thought so too, what with all the fights I’ve been getting in recently.”

She had that look in her eyes again, the distant one she sometimes got that meant she was thinking about Murphy, and Adam forgot his resolve to stay distant, forgot that the others were watching with various degrees of not-so-hidden interest. He would do anything that meant she never had to look like that again. 

“Ivy…” he said, and she looked over at him, her brow creasing in something between amusement and puzzlement as she did.

“Uh… is that my pen?” she asked, and Adam looked down at the snapped ballpoint pen in his hand with genuine surprise. He didn’t even remember picking it up from her desk, let along gripping it so tightly that he broke it.

“I’ll replace it,” he said shortly, ignoring Farah’s laughter, and the way the Detective’s mouth was twitching like she was trying to hide a smile.

“I really can’t leave you alone in here, can I?” she said with a grin, handing him a box of tissues to mop up the ink, before starting to chat with the others, and the moment was lost.

Adam would remember, however, and it only strengthened his resolve to keep her safe, no matter what. 

But he couldn’t stop his gaze from lingering on her, now that he knew she wasn’t looking, and his hands still ached with the need to touch.


End file.
